Daddy, How Much Do You Love Me?
by Angelinsydney
Summary: A deep and meaningful lesson about love - Wordy and daughter Ally. Edited.


**Daddy, How Much Do You Love Me?**

It was one of those days. Everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong. The Team from Guns and Gangs had a scheduled raid on a warehouse long suspected as a hub for stolen electronic goods. Rumours had been going around that the gang leader who ran this operation was very, very well connected. So it was undoubtedly a major coup that they were able to get a search warrant issued.

The operation was top secret, or so they thought. Three raiding teams were organized and given their respective assignments. The first team was to enter via the front door and would be responsible for conducting the search. The second team was to guard the rear door and the third would watch the perimeter. No one could come in or go out without being spotted and stopped; that was the plan.

It looked good on paper. The execution no doubt should have been flawless as the search and take-down was rehearsed until all officers were blue in the face.

They were in position by 5:00 am, a delivery was supposed to happen according to an allegedly reliable informant. It was freezing. They waited for 15 minutes, no delivery van came. Nevertheless, the Team Leader decided they shouldn't waste a good search warrant. The entry team was given permission to proceed.

Wordy and his team of five approached the main gate and banged on the door. "Strange," he thought, the warehouse sounded empty. Sound reverberated within the four walls. Armed with the search warrant and with nothing to lose, Wordy and his team forced open the gate. It was, indeed, empty. Cleaned out. Kaput.

There was nothing more devastating for cops than to see all their hard work come to nought. Everyone headed back to the station disheartened and disillusioned. And in his case, he added debilitated. Wordy had been feeling the tremors in his hands more frequently now; and, when he's dog tired, like today, the shaking becomes unmanageable.

At the end of shift, he couldn't wait to get home. When he reached his carport, he sat in the car and rested his head on the steering wheel, unable to find an ounce of strength to get out. From the carport he could hear the girls squealing, arguing, and running around. He could hear Shelley shout at them to quiet down, but her yelling only added to the commotion.

He sat in his car with his head ready to explode. He felt guilty about not finding the energy to get up and help Shell manage the children. "_I really should get inside_," he admonished himself. After 15 minutes, he decided it was time to do his fatherly duties.

It was a whirlwind of activities. Feeding, helping with school work, bathing Ally who is now 3 and supervising the others get themselves ready for bed.

It was a Wordsworth household tradition for the girls to make a cubby house made up of blankets and pillows. Claire, 10 and Lily, 7 turning 20 both think they were too old for the childish game. So it was now Ally alone, upholding the family tradition.

Wordy crawled inside the cubby house made up of blankets and pillows. Father and daughter sat on the floor, held hands and sang a made up song. Wordy sang very well, and daughter Ally seemed to have inherited this particular talent. Suddenly, Ally stopped singing, faced her dad, and asked, "Daddy, how much do you love me?"

Wordy opened his arms wide and said, "_This much_."

"_I love you this much_," said Ally, arms wide open then she moved as far to the right as she can, and then as far to the left as she can.

"_Oh, that's a lot of love_," said Wordy. "_I love you this much_," he copied Ally and moved his body as far to the right, and then as far to the left as he can.

"_Oh, but daddy, I love from here to my pre-school_."

Wordy's eyes grew big and wide. "_I love you from here to Grandma's house_."

Not willing to be beaten, Ally said, "_I love you, Daddy, all the way to the stars_." She stretched her little arms up as far as they would go, and followed this with a yawn.

Wordy wrapped his arms around his offspring and said, "_I love you this much_," with his arms around her, he said, "_I love you with a love that goes around, and around, and around, and around._"

He could sense, rather than see, that Ally's eyes were starting to close. Wordy continued slowly and softly, "_around, and around and around. It's a love that would never end_."


End file.
